5 decades later, will Detroit’s Packard Plant finally fall?

More than five decades have passed since the Packard Building in Detroit closed down, and its 3,500,000 square feet have moldered slowly since. The ownership of this building ostensibly lies in the hands of BioResource, a company headed by Dominic Cristini; his claim to this property, however has been an issue of contention in the city for over a decade.

Detroit government wants the building demolished, or at the very least secured in some way. The huge and hulking wreck attracts all nature of pests: scavengers, drug users, vandals and stray pets.

Of course, an abandoned, apparently up-for-grabs space that big will also attract creative people. It’s been the canvas for graffiti, some of it possibly quite valuable if rumors that Banksy created a mural on one of its walls are true. The building also housed DJs and dancing during the halcyon days of Detroit’s house music in the 1990s. Over the years, aritsts of all types have lived in, worked in, painted, photographed, sung about, or filmed the Packard Plant.

Before he can knock down this decrepit beauty, Crisitini will have to evict the last remaining human tenant. Known as “Allen,” this man has made the Packard Plant his home. He works on cars, caretakes the property (in return for which he is allowed to live rent free) and gives shelter to myriad stray animals. His story is captured rather heartbreakingly in this video.

Sadly, this is hardly the only incredible building left to rot on Detroit’s once grand landscape. The shells of theaters, hotels, and homes are the subject of much photography, and their wide distribution over the Internet has earned them the dubious title of “Ruin Porn.” The images spark debate: Do people find sick pleasure in viewing them? Is there some lesson or art in the shambolic remains? Or should they be left alone?

Right or wrong, these images are hard to look away from. They appear post-apocalyptic in some cases; causalities of some long ago war in others. But perhaps the most haunting are those scenes that look as life there just disappeared, without a trace, only moments before the photos were taken.